Mothers Help Brides Through Aftermath Of Dress-Shop Fire
OAK LAWN (CBS) -- A day after fire destroyed a South Suburban bridal shop, fire investigators were still trying to determine a cause.
Meanwhile, dozens of brides-to-be were trying to figure out what they're going to do about their wedding dresses. CBS 2'S Mai Martinez talked with several of the women.
Many of them say they feel like they've lost something that just can't be replaced.
Some of the brides have weddings scheduled for this weekend -- others in a few weeks -- and they are all wondering what they'll be wearing when they walk down the aisle on their special day.
"It's my daughter's wedding, and it's one of the biggest moments in her life, as well as mine," said Linda Wright, whose daughter, Kiyona Horne, is getting married.
Wright fears the day may be ruined because of Wednesday's fire at Eva's Bridal in Oak Lawn. Somewhere inside the burned out business is her daughter's dream wedding dress.
"For her to put that dress on, and see her face, I knew that that was the dress for her, and she knew it," said Wright, who came to the burned-out site with her daughter.
"As soon as we pulled up, the tears just started," she said.
It was the same story for a handful of other brides-to-be and their mothers. Peggy Mason's daughter, Maggie, was supposed to pick up her dress today.
"She's distraught," Mason said. "She's terrible, but you know, it's a dress – we'll get through it."
The bridal shop's owner, Ronia Ghusein, was equally distraught after talking with some of the brides to be. For hours, she met with them in cars and at a nearby restaurant.
"My priority right now are the dresses, customers' orders that were physically in the store and weddings that are coming up," Ghusein said.
Linda Wright says her daughter Kiyona and her fiancé felt better after talking to Ghusein.
"We have a promise of a dress arriving on Monday. We're coming back on Monday for a fitting," she said.
Until then, Kiyona's fiancé thought bringing her the rings he just picked up might cheer her up. It certainly worked on her mother.
"Dress or no dress, I have a son-in-law coming," Wright said.
Wedding dress offers have been pouring for Wright's daughter since she was featured on CBS 2 Thursday morning. A bridal shop in Michigan City, Ind. has offered a dress free of charge.
Also, Eva's Bridal is working with designers and has opened a satellite location 20 blocks away from the fire site.
Learning about the fire and its impact, some stylists and customers at Enve Salon began collecting dresses for the brides to be.
"The dress has been sitting in the closet for two years, and why not?" one customer told CBS 2's Pamela Jones.
Jennifer LaJoie was similarly moved.
"I felt sick for them because I couldn't imagine," she said. "People are getting married this weekend and their dresses are in there, so that's a nightmare for them."
